Antonija as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Antonija

What is the meaning of the name Antonija ?

The baby name Antonija is a Female name and is pronounced IPA: /anˈto.ni.ja/; respelling: ahn-TOH-nee-yah.

Antonija is in Origin.

Antonija is the South Slavic and Latvian feminine form of Antonia, ultimately from the Roman family name Antonius. The -j- marks a palatal glide common to these languages, and the name is written Антонија in Macedonian and Serbian Cyrillic. Its spread in the Balkans and Baltic was propelled by Christian devotion to Saint Anthony the Great and Saint Anthony of Padua, keeping the name in steady use from medieval times through modern national revivals, especially in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Latvia.

Variants include Antonia (international), Antonina (Polish, Russian, Ukrainian), Antónia (Hungarian, Slovak, Portuguese), Antonietta and Antonella (Italian), and the diminutives Tonka, Tonja, and Nia in South Slavic contexts. The exact meaning of Antonija is uncertain - Antonius is likely of Etruscan origin - but it is widely interpreted in modern name lore as “priceless” or “of inestimable worth,” an association reinforced by saintly prestige.